Chef Ranveer Brar crowns Lucknowi biryani the best in class — the desi classic, his way
And he didn’t hesitate!
Ranveer Allahbadia and Chef Ranveer Brar have cooked up one delicious podcast.
In his most recent episode, the serial podcaster took a deep dive into his namesake culinary genius’ authentic opinions. From why Delhi has the best food to how Mumbai’s food scene is yet to be truly realised, Ranveer and Ranveer covered all bases. A huge chunk of the hour and a half long chat however, was the indelible question — ‘India ki best biryani kaunsi hai?’.
Now we’re sure you have your own vehement answer to that, but so does Chef Ranveer. Without missing a beat the nawabi local declared Lucknowi biryani as the best among the best. And he happily doubled down on his response too.
Watching him describe the recipe is BOUND to get you hungry. So instead, we have the particulars for you below.
Ranveer Brar’s Lucknowi mutton biryani
Ingredients: For garam masala — cinnamon stick - 1, cloves - 8 to 10, cumin seeds - 2 to 3tsps, fennel seeds - 1tsp, coriander seeds - 2 to 3tsps, peppercorns - 1tsp, star anise - 2, mace - 2 to 3, brown cardamom - 2 to 3, green cardamom - 3 to 4; for mutton marination — mutton (Chef Ranveer says the ideal meat will be pink and white) - 1/2 kg, ginger-garlic paste - 2 to 3tsps, turmeric - 1tsp, chilli powder - 1tsp, cashew nut paste, pinch of garam masala, curd (leftover from the previous night he specifies) - 4 to 5tsps, for cooking — salt - 2 to 3tsps, ghee - 3tsps, oil - 2 to 3tsps, milk - 2 to 3 cups, saffron; cooked rice
Method: For the garam masala, dry roast all the spices till fragrant. Once roasted, transfer to a grinder and turn into a fine powder. For the mutton marination, slather the meat in ginger garlic paste, turmeric and chilli powder. Now go in with the cashew paste and dahi, whisked in with the garam masala. Give this a good hearty mix with your hand, cover with a lid and pop it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Once the mutton is done marinating, take it out of the fridge and let it drop to room temperature. Use this time to cook your rice. Season the meat with salt (not before). Grease your biryani handi with ghee and oil and transfer the mutton to the vessel. Take this to the heat and cook for a few minutes. Give it a good stir, cover the lid and cook for another half hour. Soak the saffron in milk while this happens and proceed with layering the rice on with the milk concoction. Add a little salt, garam masala, roasted onions and ghee after each layer. Cover the handi with a lid, putting some sort of weight over it. Keep the flame low and on for about half hour before serving steaming hot.
(recipe from Chef Ranveer Brar)
Do you agree with this hot and delicious take?
